Area Sales Manager - ABSA - Johannesburg
(2024-05 - 2026-05)
- Assisted in leading and coaching team of relationship executives to enhance client satisfaction and drive sustainable growth.
- Supported execution of regional delivery plans to align business unit strategies with team objectives.
- Contributed to performance improvement by fostering a high-performance culture within key sectors such as agriculture.
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of SME Relationship Executives to achieve agreed financial, sales, and client experience outcomes across diversified SME portfolios, including agriculture-focused clients.
- Set clear performance expectations and contract objectives through the Performance Development process.
- Drive colleague capability, engagement, and succession by identifying development needs and enabling targeted coaching and learning, including sector-specific capability for Agriculture and rural SME markets.
- Foster a high-performance, inclusive, and empowering team culture aligned to Absa's values.
- Translate Business Unit and Segment strategy into tactical delivery plans and measurable objectives for the team.
- Drive portfolio growth, profitability, and productivity across the area by optimising origination, cross-sell, and client retention, with tailored approaches for Agriculture and Agri-related SME clients.
- Monitor and manage performance against targets, taking corrective action where required.
- Ensure consistent execution of the SME Customer Value Proposition (CVP), adapting solutions to meet the seasonal, cash-flow, and risk characteristics of Agricultural clients.
- Ensure all activities are conducted in line with FAIS, credit, regulatory, and internal governance frameworks.
- Embed a strong risk culture by ensuring quality origination, disciplined credit assessment, and proactive portfolio risk management, including effective management of sector-specific risks such as climate, commodity price volatility, and production risk within Agriculture portfolios.
- Monitor adherence to compliance standards including FICA, NCA, and internal control requirements.
- Take accountability for audit findings, risk issues, and remediation actions within the area.
- Ensure Relationship Executives deliver a consistently high standard of service and trusted advisory to SME clients, including farmers, agri-business owners, and Agricultural value-chain participants.
- Support complex client engagements, escalations, and solutioning where required, particularly for larger or more specialised Agricultural relationships.
- Drive client satisfaction, advocacy, and retention through strong relationship coverage and service excellence.
Small Business Manager - ABSA Small Business
(2007-01 - 2024-05)
- Identify, create, and follow up a target list for potential new business.
- Developed internal and external channels to identify and target potential customers across various sectors and product areas.
- Ensure a minimum of quarterly interactions with target customers to monitor changing circumstances, plans, and opportunities, together with ad hoc meetings as required.
- Achieve new business acquisition targets as defined by VAPM and outlined in KPIs and KPAs.
- Assisted in delivering solutions to customers through customer needs analysis.
- Supported identification of customer requirements before meetings to highlight value offered by Absa.
- Helped identify potential channels for new customers across industries and contributed to the development of tailored offerings.
- Develops quarterly action plans by integrating insights from product specialists and credit teams to ensure a unified strategy across the group.
- Diversified income streams through strategic analysis and implementation of innovative approaches.
- Identify new focus industries.
- Work closely with Credit, Product, Risk, Operations, and Agriculture / Sector Specialists to enable effective client solutions and delivery.
- Build strong internal partnerships to improve ways of working and remove friction in the client journey.
- Share market, portfolio, and sector-specific insights (including agriculture market trends and risks) to inform business decisions and continuous improvement.
Service Manager - Nedbank Commercial
(2006-05 - 2006-12)
- Facilitation of the sales process for new and existing products to business banking clients.
- Management and execution of client transactional and maintenance requests.
- Relationship development and networking with internal and external providers.
- Manage a team of six administrators and ensuring that the processes are being adhered to, like opening of accounts, drawing of security documents, drawing of instalment credit documents.
- Manage and analyze daily reports, initiate dormant letters and warning letters.
- Identifying new opportunities of improving client service and also meeting our service level agreement.
- Deepen Nedbank share of the wallet through crossing-selling.
- Maximize client profitability (Make pricing decisions).
- Develop and maintain broad knowledge of client's business and industry.
- Negotiate and conclude the deals and collect relevant documentation.
- Prepare and deliver written or verbal proposals.
- Meet with clients at bank premises on client request.
- Maintain information on sales kit database.
- Conduct financial analysis & capture alpha rating.
Business Manager - Nedbank Commercial
(2005-06 - 2006-05)
- Facilitated training sessions for business managers to improve understanding of new campaigns.
- Assisted training department in compiling training modules for new business managers.
- Coached new business managers on generating leads and building relationships with clients over the phone.
- Analysing clients' accounts and monitoring accounts that need to go to recovery.
- Develop and maintain broad knowledge of client's business and industry.
- Set the rules of engagement with the client for CST.
- Orchestrate any interaction between other parties (i.e. Credit Manager Product specialist).
Region Marketing Agent - Nedbank Commercial
(2003-02 - 2004-03)
- Negotiate and conclude the deals and collect relevant documents.
- Manage credit risk jointly with the credit manager.(Daily excess report).
- Proactively leverage existing networks(Calling on branches for new leads).
- Participate in marketing initiatives based on group information.
- Developing strategies to new clients.
- Working together with the credit analyst by providing them with management accounts, age analysis.
- Management and update and debtor list.
- Cross selling the banks products, growing the assets book of the bank.
- Building relationship between the bank and the clients both new and existing.
- Grow the client base/portfolio by identifying and fulfilling client/small business needs and providing consistent excellent service to ensure the retention, satisfaction and expansion of the client base.
- Focus on client retention; build and maintain relationships with clients to ensure financial needs of clients are met across all product lines.
- Educate and navigate customers; provide efficient quality service; resolve client complaints and queries; proactively call clients; make client appointments; action renewal reports.
- Implement client call back policy as per requirements.
- Proactively initiate sales; ensure sales targets are met; cross sell products to customers; generate leads to personal financial planning; action leads received; load deals; motivate to credit; liaise with product divisions; follow up outstanding deals and leads; gather required documentation; provide feedback to clients; follow intermediary code of behaviour.
- Ensure compliance and conformance through: accuracy of documentation, legislation, risk and safety management, escalation process; responsible for all client FICA requirements; act as FAIS representative and comply with all legislative requirements.
- Action control checklists; prevent negligent losses.
Personal Banker - Nedbank Commercial
(2004-04 - 2005-05)
- Grow the client base/portfolio by identifying and fulfilling client/small business needs and providing consistent excellent service to ensure the retention, satisfaction and expansion of the client base.
- Focus on client retention; build and maintain relationships with clients to ensure financial needs of clients are met across all product lines.
- Educate and navigate customers; provide efficient quality service; resolve client complaints and queries; proactively call clients; make client appointments; action renewal reports.
- Implement client call back policy as per requirements.
- Proactively initiate sales; ensure sales targets are met; cross sell products to customers; generate leads to personal financial planning; action leads received; load deals; motivate to credit; liaise with product divisions; follow up outstanding deals and leads; gather required documentation; provide feedback to clients; follow intermediary code of behaviour.
- Ensure compliance and conformance through: accuracy of documentation, legislation, risk and safety management, escalation process; responsible for all client FICA requirements; act as FAIS representative and comply with all legislative requirements.
- Action control checklists; prevent negligent losses.
Client Service Consultant - First National Bank
(2002-05 - 2003-01)
- Opening of accounts (saving, cheque, investments).
- Transferring of accounts to other branches.
- Cheque withdrawals and authorizations.
- Stop payments / Stop orders.
- Monitoring of expiring investments.
- Home loan, Vehicle Finance and Investments Processing.
- Client Queries.
- Relief assistance to other Departments (Floor walking, Enquiries).
Call Centre Consultant - First National Bank
(2002-02 - 2002-05)
- Initiating Client contact in follow-up of above and below the line advertising campaigns.
- Outbound calls, Cross-sell, Retention and Expansion tactics.
- Enabling and supporting Sales Teams within Branches of the Sandton Market to deliver on client expectations. (14 x Branches and 2 x In-Office branches).
- Client functions, improving sales & service efficiency, and managing the client experience.
- VP Data Analysis, Data Integrity, Implement Aprimo delivery & conversion – leads distribution, action & conversion rate.
- Analysis of data in order to see which campaign to run, liaising with the branches regarding the campaigns.
- Providing the information packs for display in the branches and having coaching sessions with the bankers.
- Responsible for assisting the Branch with Telesales and Data Integrity improvement.
- To plan and manage the allocation of time, effort, resources in order to meet the objectives of the Branch and the Region.
- Communicating with the staff about new product launches and developments.
- Manage the right Sales and Service efforts to achieve the desired financial and customer objectives.
- Answering calls and ensuring that all clients are helped and treated with courtesy.
Ledger Supervisor - First National Bank
(1998-01 - 2001-05)
- Looking after a number of accounts, where I was responsible for debit order returns.
- Closure of accounts, queries on the accounts.
- Arranging of overdraft limits and also advising clients of other products available.
- Ensuring that the statements reach the clients on time.
- Cash withdrawals authorizations, stop payments arrangements.
- Other duties included, helping other departments like our call center within the branch.
- Helping with the mandates, queries for other departments.
- Dealing with client complaints and queries.
- Leasing with the branches in order to provide clients service.
- Transferring of funds from various accounts on instruction from the clients.
- Advising clients about new products coming up.
- Informing client about other banking options available to them.
- Cross selling all the banks products.
